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What's your opinion on Aniplex of America?


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What's your opinion on Aniplex of America?
I love them and wish they'd license and release more shows!
13%
 13%  [ 17 ]
They're good but I wish the releases weren't so expensive.
40%
 40%  [ 52 ]
They're okay, don't really dislike them at this point.
16%
 16%  [ 21 ]
I dislike most of their shows but some are good.
0%
 0%  [ 1 ]
Hate them because of their prices.
13%
 13%  [ 17 ]
I hate them so much I wish they'd go bankrupt and leave the North American market so other companies handle the licenses.
14%
 14%  [ 19 ]
Total Votes : 127

Author Message
Ambimunch



Joined: 30 Aug 2012
Posts: 2012
PostPosted: Tue Mar 26, 2013 2:55 am Reply with quote
I hope the DUB of fate/zero is brought out by VIZ, if its one of those BD sets for 300$ from aniplex...Ill flip a table xD
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Angel M Cazares



Joined: 23 Sep 2010
Posts: 5406
Location: Iscandar
PostPosted: Sat Apr 06, 2013 2:30 pm Reply with quote
I voted for "I love them and wish they'd license and release more shows!" because that is what best fits my sentiments toward Aniplex USA. But I do not love it; I just like it fine.

Also, I do wish for AoA to do in-house releases for up to 10 series a year; I do not think the R1 market can support more than that. I like their pricier BD collectors releases (Bakemonogatari), but I would like to see cheap DVD releases ($3 per episode) for the whiners.
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ailblentyn



Joined: 28 Mar 2009
Posts: 1688
Location: body in Ohio, heart in Sydney
PostPosted: Sun Apr 07, 2013 8:39 am Reply with quote
Option "I like — but 'struth they're pricey" for me.

Though I don't have a huge problem with the prices as such, as long as the releases are top-notch. So my problems are mainly about where the quality does not match up to my ideal. I.e. the lack of chipboard boxes for Madoka and the GL movies, the dubious English translations in booklets — even in the Garden of Sinners DVD set, which I think is gorgeous and overall worth the money.

I'm very curious to see what happens with this GL Blu-Ray. Given that (I imagine) every single person in their group of potential customers for this will already own a nice Bandai DVD copy — and very possibly two, given the release history — how will it sell? Is it test? Is Aniplex USA deliberately pushing the boundaries to see what happens?
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Tempest
I Run this place.
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Joined: 29 Dec 2001
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 07, 2013 1:04 pm Reply with quote
I'm probably a few years older than most of your guys and have a bit more disposable income, and this colors my answer.

I love AoA's releases. When it comes to watching anime, I'm happy to merely watch it on Crunchyroll, Netflix, Funimation.com or Hulu. I have zero interest in having a wall covered in cheap DVDs for shows that I liked, but only watched once.

However when I really like an anime, I do want to buy it, and I don't want some cheap shit $19.95 clam-shell + disc. I want something nice. AoA puts out nice products, and on the rare occasions where I really want to own a show, I'm happy to pay AoA's prices in return for the high quality product.

Pretty much the exact same for NISA, although I find that NISA often delivers a slightly better bang for your buck, but it's the same principal.

-t


Full disclosure, AoA is a sponsor of this site, but if you've been paying any attention at all, you know we have no problem criticising our sponsors.
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Animegomaniac



Joined: 16 Feb 2012
Posts: 4070
PostPosted: Mon Apr 08, 2013 8:35 am Reply with quote
Tempest wrote:

Full disclosure, AoA is a sponsor of this site, but if you've been paying any attention at all, you know we have no problem criticising our sponsors.


No, no. Licking the hand is not the same as biting it. Just ask any dog...

I voted bankruptcy {which is impossible but, hey, I can always hope, right?}, not because I dislike AoA, they're a business here to make money like any other but because I don't like their business model of profiting off of localizing anime for foreign markets by exploiting the market without any real point to it.

A wall of cheap DVDs? Yes, I got that but each of those DVD sets cost as much as one VHS tape did back when I started collecting. All those VHS tapes are now in the trash by the way, a relic of outmoded resources. Because of that, I have zero interest in paying for a single show what the first seasons of the Slayers would have cost me on VHS {200 dollars, by the way}. Cheaper is better, I'd hardly want to hang on to something just because it has junk attached to it to increase its supposed value. DVD is a fantastic format and so is its big brother BD but they're just single title hard drives, no matter how you look at it.

Times have changed, the market has changed, the audience has changed {it's bigger for one thing, with lots of direct sellers thanks to that "internet" thing which also ironically makes free anime easier to obtain by watching or, gulp, downloading}. AoA on the other hand is trying to keep their piece of the pie as they want it. A twelve episode series gets a single primary release? Not on their watch, buddy! Why go mass market when you can go collector's? You get to inflate prices of not only the DVDs/BDs but also the junk that goes in it. Mmm, profitability. But wait, there's more!

Dubbing shows to increase its marketability while charging prices and using multi release formats that caters to people who wouldn't care either way, it's just wierd. Pick a segment of the market, collector's market or mass market, and stick to it. Now, I do see dubs as an investment, you can stream multireleases, you get brand recognition for your dubbing style, you can even get, imagine this, TV broadcasts but for home release companies, it all should be done for the sake of market penetration of a particular brand and not just for the sake of selling a single title {whether you make money on it or not is not the point, it's getting more people interested in your next release that matters. Not because what it is but because you are releasing it. AoA new releases get more groans than ahs, if the forum here is any indication of fan appeal}.

Full disclosure: I have no NIS releases and I have no AoA releases and it looks like I never will. I can just stream sub only releases and AoA releases are not intended for my shelf. It's too demeaning for them.

Apparently...
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FLEABttn



Joined: 10 Aug 2003
Posts: 106
Location: ABQ
PostPosted: Mon Apr 08, 2013 12:02 pm Reply with quote
Tempest wrote:
However when I really like an anime, I do want to buy it, and I don't want some cheap shit $19.95 clam-shell + disc. I want something nice. AoA puts out nice products, and on the rare occasions where I really want to own a show, I'm happy to pay AoA's prices in return for the high quality product.


I can respect that but "nice" is rather subjective. The physical items they include to help justify their price points are superfluous to me. It could be my favorite show ever and all the post cards and art books and lunchboxes in the world aren't going to be needed by me, never mind actually desired. Good video and audio quality is all I want and I don't find Funimation or Sentai or NISA releases to be so lacking there that what AoA offers to be worth the higher barrier to entry.
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partysmores



Joined: 23 Oct 2011
Posts: 284
PostPosted: Wed Apr 10, 2013 5:09 pm Reply with quote
Voted for them to go bankrupt.

Blue Exorcist: $30 for single sub-only volumes.

Durarara!!: While the cases are nice and may be worth the price to some, $50 retail for nine episodes, not even limited edition?

Garden of Sinners: $150 price, no regular edition, even on Right Stuf, if one of the reasons I haven't seen this yet, despite wanting to. Strongly encouraging piracy here, Aniplex USA...

Gurren Lagann: I already expressed my issues on the price a couple weeks ago back when this was announced.

Gurren Lagann movies: Sub-only movies for $30 each, and that's the regular edition. Just like Blue Exorcist, not worth it.

Oreimo: Sub-only complete set for $54.98 retail, the only extras are textless opening and closing. Y'know, if they'd put that price on a limited edition of Oreimo, I'd buy it.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Here is where I sound like a total hypocrite. I own all three limited edition volumes, because, damn, they loaded a ton of extras (not just crappy postcards either) on it, it's an excellent show, dub and sub included (good dub too)...I would consider this Aniplex USA's only good release, but I could see people disliking this one too due to the expensive volumes for the regular release.
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Tempest
I Run this place.
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Joined: 29 Dec 2001
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PostPosted: Mon Apr 29, 2013 12:29 pm Reply with quote
partysmores wrote:
Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Here is where I sound like a total hypocrite. I own all three limited edition volumes, because, damn, they loaded a ton of extras (not just crappy postcards either) on it, it's an excellent show, dub and sub included (good dub too)...I would consider this Aniplex USA's only good release, but I could see people disliking this one too due to the expensive volumes for the regular release.


Question: Are you more of a fan of Mado Magi than the other shows you mentionned (B'eX, DRRR!!, Garden of Sinners, GL and Oreimo?)

Or is the only difference the value of the extras included in the Mado Magi set ?

-t
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Tempest
I Run this place.
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Joined: 29 Dec 2001
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PostPosted: Mon Apr 29, 2013 12:31 pm Reply with quote
Tempest wrote:

Full disclosure, AoA is a sponsor of this site, but if you've been paying any attention at all, you know we have no problem criticising our sponsors.

Animegomaniac wrote:

No, no. Licking the hand is not the same as biting it. Just ask any dog...

Really not sure what your point is here.
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Shiratori1



Joined: 10 Jan 2013
Posts: 300
Location: Los Angeles
PostPosted: Sun Oct 27, 2013 6:48 am Reply with quote
Blood- wrote:
I voted for the hate/go bankrupt option. Simply because I know their titles would be snapped up by other R1 distribs who would put out them out far more cheaply. They don't fulfill that niche role of a NISA where a lot of their titles wouldn't see the light of day if they didn't pick them up. Not to mention NISA's prices are much more reasonable and their Premium Editions generally more enticing.


ikillchicken wrote:
Agreed. The frustrating thing about Aniplex is that I don't really think there's any benefit to consumers from them existing. Unlike NISA, they're not releasing titles that are otherwise too niche for the usual R1 distributors. So it's not even a "better than nothing" kind of situation. It's just them taking titles that could and would just as easily be put out by Funimation or Sentai and instead making them less available or more expensive to fans. So yeah. I really can't say that we'd be anything but better off if they just went under or pulled out of the market.



Debatable........... Rolling Eyes
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Touma



Joined: 29 Aug 2007
Posts: 2651
Location: Colorado, USA
PostPosted: Sun Oct 27, 2013 9:49 am Reply with quote
Shiratori1 wrote:
Blood- wrote:
I voted for the hate/go bankrupt option. Simply because I know their titles would be snapped up by other R1 distribs who would put out them out far more cheaply. They don't fulfill that niche role of a NISA where a lot of their titles wouldn't see the light of day if they didn't pick them up. Not to mention NISA's prices are much more reasonable and their Premium Editions generally more enticing.


ikillchicken wrote:
Agreed. The frustrating thing about Aniplex is that I don't really think there's any benefit to consumers from them existing. Unlike NISA, they're not releasing titles that are otherwise too niche for the usual R1 distributors. So it's not even a "better than nothing" kind of situation. It's just them taking titles that could and would just as easily be put out by Funimation or Sentai and instead making them less available or more expensive to fans. So yeah. I really can't say that we'd be anything but better off if they just went under or pulled out of the market.



Debatable........... Rolling Eyes

Of course it is debatable. So why aren't you debating it?

Do you really believe that Fate/Zero, Madoka, Sword Art Online, or any other AoA title would not have been licensed by another North American company if AoA had not gotten it?
If so, why?
Personally, I think that those three are so popular that Funimation or Sentai would have grabbed them quickly, unless the licensing fees were insanely high. The cost of licensing is one part of the equation that we are missing.
I am not really familiar with most of the other AoA shows, except for Gurren Lagaan which has previously been released.

Do you think that any of the AoA shows would have been licensed by another company but released at a price that is not any lower than the AoA price? If so, why?
I do not think that Funimation or Sentai or even Nozomi would license anything that they would need to charge that much for. It just does not fit their business models. Of course they could always change, just as Funimation is trying a release without a dub to see how that works for them.
But I have no reason to believe that it actually would happen.

For the poll I said that I hate them because of their prices. Wishing for them to go bankrupt was just a bit too extreme for me, though I did seriously consider that option.
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Alan45
Village Elder



Joined: 25 Aug 2010
Posts: 9809
Location: Virginia
PostPosted: Sun Oct 27, 2013 10:23 am Reply with quote
The debate in question would be rather meaningless. As was noted we don't have the necessary information to come to a conclusion supported by anything other than our prejudices. We don't know if the shows in question were offered for license. We don't know if Sentai or Funimation passed on them or never had the chance.

The shows AoA offers are all the property of their parent company. They can do what they want with them. At some point we simply have to accept that this is what is and move on. Debate will not change anything.

For myself, I look at the show and the price and decide if I want it that badly. If I do I buy it, if not, I don't. No point in getting upset about something I can't change.
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Shiratori1



Joined: 10 Jan 2013
Posts: 300
Location: Los Angeles
PostPosted: Sun Oct 27, 2013 8:52 pm Reply with quote
Alan45 wrote:
The debate in question would be rather meaningless. As was noted we don't have the necessary information to come to a conclusion supported by anything other than our prejudices. We don't know if the shows in question were offered for license. We don't know if Sentai or Funimation passed on them or never had the chance.

The shows AoA offers are all the property of their parent company. They can do what they want with them. At some point we simply have to accept that this is what is and move on. Debate will not change anything.

For myself, I look at the show and the price and decide if I want it that badly. If I do I buy it, if not, I don't. No point in getting upset about something I can't change.


THIS! ^ 100

Debate over.
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Keonyn
Subscriber



Joined: 25 May 2005
Posts: 5567
Location: Coon Rapids, MN
PostPosted: Mon Oct 28, 2013 10:17 am Reply with quote
Yeah, debates don't work that way. Please start contributing to the actual discussion/debate.
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Shiratori1



Joined: 10 Jan 2013
Posts: 300
Location: Los Angeles
PostPosted: Mon Oct 28, 2013 11:36 am Reply with quote
Keonyn wrote:
Yeah, debates don't work that way. Please start contributing to the actual discussion/debate.


I wasn't actually being serious in that post (it was a joke). You know, the kind of thing that YOU were criticizing ME for not being able to "handle" in other forum topics. Rolling Eyes
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